Manipulating the peppery aroma of wines: The characterization of rotundone

Becca Yeamans-Irwin - 09 Nov 2016

Rotundone, a guaiane-like compound, has the very distinctive aroma of pepper, with a very low sensory threshold (16ng/L in red wine and 8ng/L in water), therefore is a very important compound in wine that warrants further study. Initial studies have found rotundone concentrations up to 145 ng/L in Australian Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Durif wines, while another recent study found rotundone concentrations as high as 561 ng/L in European red wines Schioppettino and Vespolina, and white wine Gruener Veltliner.

Working together to improve South African consumers’ wine appreciation skills!

Valeria Panzeri - 05 Apr 2016

The time is right for the wine industry and its research partners to join forces in encouraging the growing South African middle class to appreciate wine. The vast majority of South African consumers have always seemed to prefer a cold beer or a ready-to drink-spirit cooler to a glass of wine. Wine is often perceived as a sophisticated, complex and intricate drink that requires a deep knowledge, which allows you to discuss it in public even before you could actually get to taste it or offer it to your guests.

Sensory and Science for the Pinotage Youth Development Academy

Marianne McKay - 05 Apr 2016

As part of our ongoing, and mutually rewarding relationship, the Department of Oenology and Viticulture (DVO) again hosted 25 Pinotage Youth Development Academy (PYDA) students during 2015 for three more modules in wine science, with a strong emphasis on Sensory Evaluation.

The perfect Pinot problem

The Economist - 03 Feb 2016

Researchers report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that they detected 49 aromatic compounds in Pinot noir grapes from the two years during both the early and the late sampling periods. Most of these compounds remained at low levels throughout the growing period. However, four of them were found in much higher concentrations in the mature grapes than in the early-season ones.

How Millennials Are Changing Wine

by Lettie Teague in The Wall Street Journal - 06 Nov 2015

They’re the reason you use emojis instead of email and Snapchats instead of real chats. But will millennials also upend the wine establishment? As Lettie Teague discovers, this relationship status is complicated.